Six Battling Bishop athletes earn USA South Weekly honors

Fayetteville, NC - The North Carolina Wesleyan Department of Athletics is pleased to announce that six Battling Bishop athletes have earned USA South Weekly accolades. Bryan Haywood and LeeRon Boykin were named Players of the Week in football, while teammate Jamal Smith grabbed Rookie of the Week honors. In volleyball, Brittany Insley and Kelly George were named Player and Defensive Player of the Week, and in men's soccer, Edgar Zalivar was named Player of the Week. 

Football Offensive Player of the Week
Senior running back Bryan Haywood, a native of Chocowinity, NC, accumulated 149 all-purpose yards in a 51-17 win over USA South rival Maryville. Haywood tallied three rushing touchdowns on the day while averaging 6.7 yards-per-carry en route to 74 rushing yards. He also added 75 receiving yards on four catches in the victory.

Football Defensive Player of the Week
LeeRon Boykin, a senior defensive lineman from Warsaw, NC, had eight total tackles and one forced fumble in the Bishops' win over the Scots. Boykin's four solo tackles and four assisted takedowns included four tackles-for-a-loss for 18 total yards and 1.5 sacks for a loss of ten yards. His forced fumble was recovered by the Bishops and led to a field goal, putting NCWC up 37-3 at the time.

Football Offensive Rookie of the Week
Jamal Smith, a freshman running back from Fredericksburg, VA, rushed for 74 yards in Wesleyan's victory over Maryville. Smith averaged 10.6 yards-per-carry and recorded his first collegiate touchdown on a 45-yard run in the fourth quarter.

Volleyball Player of the Week
Brittany Insley, a middle hitter from Arlington, OH, posted a .375 attack percentage and averaged 4.7 kills, 3.4 digs, 0.5 blocks and 0.5 service aces per set last week as the Bishops posted a 3-0 record. In a 3-1 win over Mary Washington, she notched a double-double with a match-high 19 kills and 16 digs. She followed that up with a match-high 13 kills with eight digs and two blocks in a 3-0 sweep of Mary Baldwin.  Finally, In a 3-0 win over USA South foe Greensboro, Insley recorded her second double-double of the week with a match-high 15 kills and ten digs. She also added a match-high four service aces, three assists and a team-high two blocks in the victory. This is her third Player of the Week award this season.

Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week
Junior libero Kelly George of Derwood, MD averaged 4.7 digs per set last week. In a 3-1 win over Mary Washington, George tallied a team-high 16 digs and followed that up with 15 digs in a 3-0 win over Mary Baldwin on Saturday. She wrapped up the week with a match-high 16 digs versus Greensboro later in the day. George also added three service aces on the week. This is her third defensive award of the season.

Men's Soccer Player of the Week
Edgar Zaldivar, a senior midfielder from Alexandria, VA, tallied four goals and two assists in a 2-1 week for the Bishops. In a 6-1 win over St. Mary's (MD), Zaldivar had one goal and two assists, one of which came on the eventual gamewinner. In a 4-1 victory over USA South foe Shenandoah, he scored twice, including the gamewinning tally in the 55th minute. Finally, in a 3-2 loss to 13th-ranked Rochester, Zaldivar scored the Bishops' second goal of the game.

Congratulations to all six athletes on their stellar performances!